The Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to join the East African Community as its seventh member.
According to the EAC secretariat, all preparations are complete for the Extraordinary Heads of State Summit on March 29, when Kinshasa will be formally welcomed in a virtual session.
On Friday, the Council of Ministers held its 48th Extraordinary Council meeting to finalize the admittance plan.
Dr. Kevit Desai, Kenya’s Principal Secretary for EAC and Regional Affairs told The EastAfrican, “There is only one subject that we are discussing, and that is DRC.” “The review mission has concluded, and the negotiations have concluded. We’ve reached the ninth step, which is putting together a Summit format.”
Already, Kinshasa has bilateral and multilateral cooperation arrangements with EAC partner states in various areas, including Customs, infrastructure, and productive and social sectors.
So far DRC has completed all the major steps to joining the regional bloc. And the Council meeting on Friday went through the checklist to ensure all ground had been covered and agreed upon by all parties.
The procedures have covered political, legal and institutional, infrastructural, productive, and social Sectors. Economic affairs and trade are at the center of the deal.
An EAC verification team has been in consultation with DRC President Felix Tshisekedi’s office and developed a work program that identified ministries, institutions, private and civil society organizations for engagement during the process, which was largely concluded in February.
The DRC’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Christophe Lutundula Apala Pen’Apala, who led the negotiations in Nairobi in February 2022 highlighted Kinshasa’s enthusiasm to be part of the EAC.
“We are looking forward to increased trade and investment, and strengthened relations. Our relations with EAC partner states have largely been at a bilateral level. But now we want to go even farther,” said Pen’Apala.
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